Cleared troops face 4th inquiry into Iraqi death

BRITISH troops cleared of wrongdoing over the drowning of an Iraqi teenager more than a decade ago face a fourth inquiry into their actions at the cost of some £200,000 to the taxpayer.

three soldiers, including a decorated major, were told in a letter last week that they would not face charges over an incident in Basra in 2003 in which an 18-year-old man drowned.

But it has emerged that they could be dragged before a judge-led inquiry and forced to give evidence again to satisfy human rights laws. the ministry of Defence is likely to pass the file to the Iraq Fatality Investigations (IFI) unit so Sir George Newman can take on the case in the coming months.

this is despite the family of the teenager, Said Shabram, having already received £100,000 in compensation from the ministry of Defence in an out- ofcourt settlement.

Former army veteran Jack lopresti, now a tory mp, said: ‘this persecution and hounding of former and serving British military personnel must stop.

‘It is destroying lives, damaging moral and wasting countless amounts of public money that would be better spent on our armed Forces.’

Sources said the case had not yet been passed to the IFI. Defence Secretary Sir michael Fallon needs to decide whether or not to order an inquiry under the European Convention on human Rights.

the soldiers, two of whom are

‘This hounding of troops must stop’

still serving, have already faced at least three investigations into the incident.

these included a service police investigation, a civil case that was settled out of court and it was looked at by the now-disbanded Iraq historical allegations team before it was passed to the Service prosecuting authority. then in a two-line letter last week from prosecutors, the soldiers were told charges would be dropped.

the Daily mail – which has called for an end to the witchhunt of uk troops – has revealed how troops, including some suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, who faced the IFI have begged to be left alone.

the IFI is an inquest- style inquiry designed to establish the facts of a case and can result in a pay-out to victims’ families. Each case typically costs £200,000.

It emerged in 2011 that the MOD had paid £100,000 compensation to the family of the teenager. In an out-of-court settlement with his relatives’ British lawyers, leigh Day, the MOD did not admit liability for mr Shabram’s death. his cousin, menem akaili, who claimed he was forced into the Shatt alarab river by soldiers at the same time, was also due to receive an official payment.

mr akaili claimed that he and mr Shabram were approached by a British patrol and led at gunpoint down to a jetty before being forced into the river. the punishment was known as ‘wetting’ and was said to have been inflicted on local youths suspected of looting.

the soldiers maintain their innocence and an MOD spokesman said: ‘Our military served with great courage and professionalism in Iraq and we proudly hold them to the highest standards. We are legally obliged to follow a high Court ruling that ordered the establishment of the IFI process.’

WILL the shameful witch-hunt of our armed forces ever come to an end?

After the downfall of ambulance-chasing lawyer Phil Shiner, and the winding down of the discredited Iraq historic investigations, the Mail dearly hoped so.

But in the latest affront to justice, three soldiers who have already been investigated and cleared three times over the death of an Iraqi civilian fourteen years ago face another inquiry. If they are exonerated again, will that really be the end of their ordeal or simply time for yet another trial by some anonymous branch of officialdom?

This is the Kafkaesque nightmare the Ministry of Defence has created, in which those who have served their country suffer seemingly endless persecution in the name of human rights.

Meanwhile in Northern Ireland, the exservicemen who served during the Troubles fear the knock at the door from another historic police trawl, while IRA terrorists sleep easy in their beds.

This time last year Theresa May pledged to bring an end to the merciless hounding of the ‘bravest of the brave’. She must now come good on that promise.